Portable oil heater



Feb. 7, 1928.

C. M. FITCH ET AL PORTABLE OIL HEATER Filed July 15. 1926 Fatented Feb. Tf', 191218.

UNiTEl) STATES PATENT OFFICif.

CHARLES FITCH AND FGBES'L G. M2003,

0F KANKKEE, LLINOIS, .ASSIGNORS TO SEARS, RC'EBUCK CO., GF CE-CAGQ, LLIN-'OIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

"EO ETABLE OIL HEATER.

Application filed .uly 15,

The invention pertains to improvements in portable oil heaters of the type which embodies a base and a drum hinged thereon, and has especial reterence to the provision in such a heater of a device for releasably locking the base and drum together. ln this particular type of heater, precaution must be taken against upsetting` the heater. lFor this reason an especially eiiicient and positively operating latch is necessary to guard against accidental unlatching and consequent tipping of the base when theheater is being carried from place to place.

It is an object of this invention to provid a novel latch for an oil-heater which is so constructed that the possibility of accidental voperation of the latch is reduced to a minimum. l

Another object is to produce a latch wnich is highly efiicient in operation, positive in action and may be simply and cheaply manufactured.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following.v description and the accompanying drawings in which:

-Figure 1 is anV elevation of the lower portion of an oil-heater. f

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical Vsection taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of'Fig. 2 and showing the pivot-pin and spring of the latch.

While we will herein illustrate and describe our invention with considerable particularity it is contemplated that various changes in the construction and arrangement employed may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the particular type of oil-heater for which our latch is especially adapted, a radiating drum 5 forming the upper part of the heater has secured at its lower end, a skirt 6, which is arranged to project downwardly over the upper rim of a base 7 of the heater and which is hingedly connected thereto as by means of a suitable hinge 8. The latch mechanism is located at a point substantially opposite the hinge.

In the preferred form, the latch comprises an arcuate member 9 bent at the lower end to form a hook 10, anda keeper 11 secured to the inside of the base 7 and adapted to be 1926. Serial No. 122,532.

engaged by said hook. As a means vfor strengthening the hook member 9 the edges are turned inwardly to provide side flanges 12. Near the upper end of the hook member, the tlanges 12 are enlarged, to form two parallel spaced ears 13. rThe upper end of the hook member 9 extends through an opening 14- formed in the skirt G and constitutes a trip 15 for disengaging the hook 9 from the keeper 1l. Opposite side edges of the opening 14C are turned inwardly to frovide lugs 1b' which overlap the ears 13. rlie hook member 9 is suitably pivoted on a pin 17 extending through the lugs 16 and the ears 13.

As may be seen in Fig. 2, the position of the hook member 9 when mounted on the skirt 6 is such that the portion which eX- tends inwardly is located within the base 7 wnen the drum is in its normal position. Vlhen the drum 5 is moved into closet position, the -hook 10 will engage the keeper 11 to hold the drum in position. l

This, in effect, is a gravity actuated latch, automatically operating uponV swinging the drum to close the heater. It' has been found, however, that it is possible to tip a hea-ter having this type of latch, to certain positions at which the latch will swing away from the keeper to disengage itself therefrom. In order to insure that the hook 10 will positively engage the keeper 11 in all positions of the heater a coil spring 18 is positioned on the pin 17.` One end of the spring extends through a hole 19 in the hook member 9 to bearagainst the inner surface of the skirt 6, and the other end bears against the inner surface of the trip 15. One edge of the hole 19 is preferably struck outwardly to provide a. linger or stop 2O overlying the skirt .6 and adapted to limit the downward movement of the hook member 9. To release the latch, kthe trip 15 is depressed to move the hook member from the full line position to the broken line position asV shown in lFig. 2.

it will be readily apparent that a latch has been provided in which only a small part extends outwardly from the heater. This minimizes thepossibility of the latch being accidentally operated to cause'the heater to be upset. The latch is located in a very convenient place for operation, it being readily operable by either hand or foot.

Furthermore, the relative position of the trip l5 and the skirt 6 renders it possible to grip the parts between the thumb `and forelinger, thus depressing the trip so as to disengage the latch as the skirt of thedrum is grasped for the purpose of tilting 1t on the base.

lNe claimv as our invention:

l. ln an oil-heater, in combination with a base and a drinn hingedly attached to the base and having a peripheral skirt encircling the upper end of the base, a latch comprising a keeper rigidly secured within said base, said skirt having a slot therein, and a member pi votally mounted on said skirt and eX- tending througl'i said slot with one end proj ecting inwardly and downward into the base and normally adapted to engage said keeper, and with its other end projecting upwardly and outwardly so as to be disposed above the skirt in spaced relation thereto.

2, In an oil-heater, in combination with a lower part and an upper part hingedly connected thereto, a latchl comprising a keeper rigid with said lower part, an arcuate hook member hinged to said upper part in such position that one end thereof is normally adapted to engage said keeper, and the other end there-of extends outwardly 'from said upper part to provide a means to disengage said lirst mentioned end from said keeper, spring means arranged to force said hook member into positive engagement with said keeper, and means whereby the motion of said hook member is limited. y

8. In an oil-heater, in combination with a lower part andan upper part hingedly atpart extending externally of said heater to constitute a trip for disengaging said hook mewber and said keeper.

ln an oil-heater, in combination with a lower part and an upper part hingedly connected thereto, a latch comprising a keeperA rigidly secured within said lower part and a hook member within said lower part, said member being pivotally mounted on the upper part in such position as to be swung by gravity into engagement with Asaid keeperV during the closing of the heater, and means acting' on said latch to resist the disengagement ot saidV hook membertrom said keeper.'

in an oil-heater, in combination with a lower part and an upper part hingedly attached thereto, a latch comprising a keeper rigid with said lower part, a hook-member i' votally mounted on said vupper part in sueh position as to be swung` by gravity into engagement with said keeper during the closing of said upper part onto said lower, and resilient means acting to resist the disengagement ot said hook member fromA said f keeper. Y

ln testimony vwhereoi;l we have hereunto aiiirted our signatures`A f Y roREsr e. Moon.y CHARLES M, rircri. 

